January 13, 2012

Yvestown & me

Many of you will already know Yvonne Eijkenduijn through her gorgeous blog Yvestown. She inspires so many with her perfect, spare, light, vibrant and pretty aesthetic as expressed through her decorating, home remodeling, gardening, craft and even her recipes. She has a really unique, immediately recognizable style that is completely her own, it's just Yvestown. I've been a huge fan of hers for years, and then I got the honor to work with her on my book! Many of the photos in the book were taken in her home, many by Yvonne herself. It was incredibly fun to work with her, just hang out with her and her wonderful husband Bo, and eat her seriously delicious food!! You can see more of Yvonne's inspirational style here. She's having a giveaway of my book and 2nd prize of a downloadable pattern. Just leave a comment on her blog to enter. Here's my little interview with Yvonne, questions I've been wanting to ask her for a long time, about her style, inspirations and tips...

Q. Your style is so recognizable Yvonne. Where did it come from? Has it evolved over time? How would you say it's changed over the years?

A. After reading an interview with the, then, infamous Cath Kidston I fell in love with how she used floral patterns on a fresh and modern canvas. I wanted that for my home so I made a colour scheme for myself and stuck to that. I only use white, blue, red, pink and green and it works. Even when I go shopping I stick to these colours so I instantly know what goes and what doesn't. As my house changed from a small cute home to a large scary home I had to mature my style a bit, robust and smooth lines have replaced the nursery cute.

Q. Is there a particular culture or mix of cultures that have influenced your style?

A. I love Sweden and England, both countries are largely present in my decorating style. I love the swedish philosophy of using a lot of white to let the sun in and I love all the charm of the English countryside. I try to mix that up.

Q. You mix modern, streamlined, and inexpensive Ikea pieces with older, more flea market pieces and floral patterns with such ease. It's a mix that feels so fresh and authentic. Do you have any tips for how others can make this blend work in their home?

A. I just have one rule; don't go for just cheap because eventually it will look cheap. Try to mix classic design furniture with antiques but don't go for anything heavy or frilly. As designer furniture and IKEA furniture are streamlined you'll have to streamline your antiques and flea market finds as well. Don't be scared to paint or recover anything as you can do it again if it doesn't feel right. Try to balance well and always, always customize your IKEA purchases.

Q. I love that your blogging for IKEA Live! Can you tell us a bit more about this?

A. I'm really excited about this writing opportunity as I'm a big IKEA fan and I feel strongly affiliated with their philosophy and designs. I like that I don't have to contribute a whole lot of contents as I don't want to neglect my blog. I love all the opportunities that are be given to me all thanks to me blog and the people who read it. It will always be my number one the place in the world.

Q. One thing that always amazes me about you is that you're totally unafraid to change something you've done to your home. Even when it's already gorgeous you go and change it to something gorgeous in a different way. It seems like you almost treat your home as a canvas...I really admire this as I tend to be afraid to change anything once I've got it looking pretty good. What's your philosophy about this?

A. I keep changing rooms until they are right and then I sell my home LOL. Well this seems to be my trend. I always feel I can improve a room and I will keep improving it until it's right and then I don't touch it again. In a way it's a blank canvas I can throw all my ideas and creativity at. My home is my art project.

Q. I always love your crochet designs so much. What role does crafting play in your life?

A. It's everything to me, if I haven't been making anything I get nervous. To me4 a day without craft is a day without sun.

Q. What is your favorite shade of white paint for a room?

A. All White by Farrow & Ball

Q. Best gardening tip?

A. Don't wear gardening gloves, feel the dirt.

Q. Do you have any projects coming up that you feel like sharing?

There are so many great things I'm going to do this year but I'm strictly forbidden to talk or write about them.

I just wanted to say that I was the very lucky winner of your new book from Yvonne and how timely it was as I had just bought my first ever fabric from one of your lines. I'm hooked! I love it all and am so happy to find someone designing fabric that is so me!

Turns out that there is more than one version of this cowboy tie came be part of the American West. Often, when emulating an old time form of fashion, regardless of how "slutty" it may be, there is still a form of class. This ensures that regardless of where the trade goes your loss is locked because of this when the exchange rate reaches the limit order you garnish a much higher profit. Adidas Grace Mid Sleek Light Blue Women Shoes. We have become a society of multi-tasking do nothings. Adidas Jeremy Scott 2.0. Seems appropriate one would think, considering the method in which they met, but c'mon, how impersonal is that. For example, if you are planning on using your binoculars for birdwatching you want to look for a pair that is designed with good image quality. If you regularly process legal-sized items, you'll either want to choose a different punch altogether or have an additional one on-hand for your documents. Adidas Angry Birds. Adidas Grace Mid Sleek Light Blue Women Shoes. Adidas Running Shoes. If you know your clients, you can give them personalized items too with your corporate logo printed on the items. Adidas Grace Mid Sleek Light Blue Women Shoes. There are just many business individuals that will be willing to make the most of one's profit. A tarp, or tarpaulin, is a very large piece of waterproof material designed to be a form of protection or covering. Adidas JS Leopard Shoes.

Hello!!

Hi There!I'm Tanya. I blog here about my life and my work as an author, fabric, product and sewing pattern designer. My fabrics, scrap booking products, paper products and sewing patterns are available globally. My second book for Random House, Sew Many Dresses, Sew Little Time includes interchangeable patterns to create 219 unique dresses. It will be released June 16th, 2015. Thank you for coming by!